1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to apparatuses for making working electrodes of dye-sensitized solar cells.
2. Description of Related Art
Dye-sensitized solar cells each have a substantially sandwich-like structure, which includes a working electrode, an electrolyte and an opposite electrode. The working electrode usually includes a substrate, a titanium dioxide (TiO2) layer adhered on the substrate, and a photosensitive dye layer formed on the TiO2 layer. The TiO2 is porous, and the photosensitive dye may be inserted into the porous TiO2. Under sunlight, the photosensitive dye absorbs energy from the sunlight and produces electrons. The electrolyte includes oxidant and reducing agent pairs, e.g., I2 and I−.
A conventional method for making the working electrode is employed on a production line. That is, a substrate is carried to a first station to be coated with a TiO2 layer, then the substrate is carried to a second station to be coated with a photosensitive dye layer. However, in this way, the substrate has to be conveyed from one station to another and is thus exposed to possible contamination.
What is needed, therefore, is an apparatus for making a working electrode of a dye-sensitized solar cell, which can overcome the above shortcomings.